Morgan swims ACC's fastest mile

In his first year at Tech, Sam Morgan was the first freshman to compete at the NCAA Championships in swimming.The rising senior and two-time All-American in the mile continued to blaze a path when he broke the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center pool record in the 1650 freestyle at the ACC Championship this past season.

Morgan is very proud of holding the top time in the ACC for the mile.

"Winning the mile at ACC was my biggest highlight this year. I didn't expect it. I knew I was going to do well. I did better than I thought I would and everyone else did worse than I thought they would," Morgan said.

Morgan acknowledges that many people contribute to his continued success, in particular former graduate assistant coach Shilo Ayalon.

"Shilo Ayalon was a big influence. He was a senior when I came in and stayed to continue swimming. He was an awesome swimming partner. He was a constant force showing me how to be consistent and not to complain," Morgan said.

Morgan recognizes the contribution of his team and coach to his performance.

"The rest of my team is certainly an influence. If I was just doing it for me I probably wouldn't swim as fast," Morgan said, "My coach has been a great motivator, also."

Morgan's strong performance for Tech came after being Georgia state champion in the 200 and 500 free as a sophomore at Gainesville High School and a twelve-year Georgia swimming all-star.

"In high school I never really had any expectations. I knew I was a good swimmer and that I wanted to come to Tech. The thought of not doing it never came into my mind, but I never thought about what it would be like," Morgan said.

Morgan looks forward to the upcoming season. Stuart Wilson, an assistant coach for the last three years, will be taking over as head coach for men's and women's swimming and diving.

"I know Stuart plans on doing some things differently. I think next year the team will be much more positive as a whole. There will be more camaraderie," Morgan said.

Morgan predicts a strong season led by seven returning seniors and a hard-working group of sophomores.

"I expect we'll see fast swims from the sophomore team. They've worked hard and I think that will show," Morgan said, "The senior class is big, so I expect fast swims there, too."